To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Bauhaus design movement, Swatch have released the Bau Swatch Collection of 25 new watches inspired by the pre-WWII German school of design. The Bauhaus design philosophy has had significant impact on a number of watch designs over the years, including from Patek Philippe, Nomos and Stowa. Now Swatch have joined the fray, with an appropriately designed collection that celebrates the different elements of the design school's ideas. If you're interested in browsing the…

Back in 2014, Swatch made waves with the original Sistem51, an innovative and affordable robot-assembled automatic watch. Much like the original Swatch, the Sistem51 was hailed as revolutionary, and touted as radically democratising the Swiss mechanical. While the sub-$200 timepiece was never going to threaten Omega's market share (for example), it nonetheless featured some impressive technical features – like the single central screw holding the whole affair together, the anti-magnetic construction and 90 hours of power reserve. The initial Sistem51 came…

Last night one of the elder statesman of comedy, John Cleese, appeared on Channel Ten's prime-time news panel show The Project. Ostensibly Cleese was there to discuss a new stage version of Farty Owls – sorry, Fawlty Towers – but things got a little off track when one of the presenters asked him about his brightly coloured Swatch. Turns out this timepiece, which Cleese picked up for about £12 at a London airport is his perfect holiday accessory: "What I…

It was April 2013 at Baselworld Watch Fair and Nick Hayek was sitting with a panel at the launch of the Swatch Sistem51. He took the opportunity to school the packed room on why Swatch still matters, and the place the humble wristwatch has in the modern history of high-end watchmaking. Notebooks out, no talking, these are the 7 Facts that matter about this eminently affordable mechanical marvel that was called "A sensation! A revolution!" by watchinsider.com and a "Bolt of lightning" by…

On Tuesday we showed you the new Swatch Sistem51 blending in perfectly with the streetscape of Melbourne's Hosier Lane. And today to celebrate the Australian launch of the clever mechanical Swatch, we're teaming up with Swatch to give you the chance to be one of the first people in Australia to own the Sistem51 for yourself. A Sistem RED to be specific. How to Enter 1. Fill out the form below to become a subscriber to Time+Tide. If you are…

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